Herald
& Journal, April 27, 1998

You are what your hair is

By MYRON HEUER

Have you ever wondered if the color of your hair affects
your personality?

Well, it really never entered my mind either except I've
heard that redheads have a temper. In a way, I believe they do because my
mother had red hair as does one of my sons. However, I think a lot of that
redhead temper was caused by others who taunted redheads.

My mother said she was teased a lot when she was young
and I know that my son got a lot of taunting when he was in school. He had
been called carrot top, fire engine and other uncomplimentary names. Wouldn't
that get your dander, too?

I ran across an item in the newspaper. It was a story from
a hundred years ago. It's about a fad of that day called hair reading. Here's
what the article said:

"The new science is not fully developed yet, but its
devotees have already discovered many interesting facts and are constantly
searching for more.

Fine hair is said to denote gentle birth, and the amount
of hair showing will determine the mode of life.

It is also claimed that the closer the end of the hairs
cling together, that is, naturally, without artificial force, the greater
is the intellectuality the owner possesses.

A tendency to curl denotes inherent grace and a poetic
nature.

Straight hair is the sign of a firm, positive and practical
disposition.

Such bad qualities as treachery and jealousy are generally
found in black, lusterless hair.

The lighter the hair, the more sensitive and touchy the
owner generally is.

Brown hair must be a very desirable thing to possess, for
the hair is always found in people having a high degree of common sense,
good judgement and reason.

Red hair is a sign of honesty and also of cleverness. Nothing
whatever is said about freaks of temper as an accompaniment to red hair.
It may, therefore, be safe to conclude that another popular idea has been
dissolved by the searchlight of science and investigation."

There is nothing in this century-old story about gray hair
or baldness. But I found this article most interesting. I wonder what happened
to the science of hair reading.